Basic Engineering Strategies for Virus-Resistant Plants

Abstract

Viral diseases of plants remain the main causes of significant damage in agricultural production. Various epidemiological measures have been taken to avoid viral diseases, including phytosanitary measures, using virus-free planting material, the fight against viral vectors, and the introduction of resistant or tolerant varieties. In recent years, the efforts of researchers around the world have been aimed at investigating the factors related to both natural and induced virus resistance of plants as well as the development and introduction of varieties created by genetic manipulation (bioengineering methods). The development of new antivirus strategies requires deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the natural resistance and biochemical processes occurring in virus infected plants. The review provides a brief description of genetic modification methods and considers the main genetic engineering approaches used to develop virus-resistant plants.